The International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED) is monitoring the second round of the 2017 local self-government elections in six electoral districts across Georgia. ISFED Observation Mission consists of 317 short-term observers (STOs) deployed at precinct electoral commissions and six observers at district electoral commissions (DECs) as well as six mobile groups. Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) Data Analysis and Incident Centers are operating in the central office staffed with eight data clerks and six lawyers.

For the second round of the local elections ISFED has deployed PVT observers to all polling stations in Kutaisi, Martvili, Ozurgeti, Khashuri, Borjomi and Kazbegi.

Similarly to the first round of elections, ISFED’s observation of the second round of local self-government elections is based on the Parallel Vote Tabulation (PVT) methodology, which enables us to timely detect violations, systematically evaluate the entire Election Day process and verify the accuracy of the official election results.
In this statement, ISFED presents information about voter turnout as of 17:00 and violations reported by 19:00.

Key Findings

According to the information from ISFED observers, by 19:00 the voting process at the polling stations has been taking place without substantial violations. However, outside some polling stations in the Ozurgeti electoral district, representatives of law enforcement agencies and party coordinators in large numbers has been observed, particularly in the vicinity of the polling stations #3, #4, #7, #8 and #55. This type of amassing is a negative trend and may be perceived as an attempt to control the will of the voters. It should be noted that the voter turnout is highest in the Ozurgeti electoral district and has exceeded 47% by 17:00.

As of now, ISFED has filed 13 complaints at PECs and 12 complaints at DECs, one of which has already been considered by a DEC and was not satisfied as a result. 2 entries have been made in the record books.

Voter Turnout by 17:00 (PVT Results)

Voter turnout in six electoral districts by 17:00 was 27%, which is considerably lower than in the first round of elections when voter turnout was 36.5% .

Voter turnout according to electoral districts as of 17:00 was following:

Ozurgeti - 47%

Borjomi - 45%

Kazbegi - 44%

Martvili - 31%

Khashuri - 27%

Kutaisi - 14%

Since turnout is announced at specified times of the day, ISFED calculates the average time it takes for a polling station to process a voter. Based on the data processed, from 8:00 to 17:00, in 90.8% of polling stations, the commission handled, on average, one voter per minute, while in 9.2% of polling stations the commission processed 1 to 2 voters per minute. Interestingly, in 35.5% of polling stations in the municipality of Ozurgeti handled 1 to 2 voters per minute on average.

Violations

As of now, ISFED observers have reported following violations:

• At the polling station #12 of the election district #65 (Martvili) a voter voted without a proper identification document.

• At the polling station #42 of the election district #60 (Ozurgeti) a registrar missed out to include a signature of one voter in the list.

• At the polling station #19 of the polling station #36 (Borjomi) a registrar missed out to include signatures of two voters.

ISFED once again calls upon all eligible voters in six electoral districts of Georgia where runoffs are taking place to go to the polls and express their free will by voting in favor of a candidate of their choice. ISFED reminds voters that in order to vote they should have with them: Georgian citizen ID card or a Passport.

SFED Observation Mission is made possible with
the generous support from the American people, by financial assistance from the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID). The mission is supported by the Federal Foreign Office of Germany and the National
Endowment for Democracy (NED). Contribution for observation of
the runoff elections also comes from the Embassy of the United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland. The contents of this statement are
the sole responsibility of the International
Society for Fair Elections and Democracy and may not bereflecting the position of USAID, the United States Government, the Federal Republic of Germany,
British Embassy, or NED.